May 16-22

The Cedar Grove
Out along the Nature Spirit trail lies a small cedar grove that can be reached by a short branch trail. This branch trail used to be a part of a much longer trail that wound its way across the forest. This old trail was known as the White trail. At the time the Cedar Grove trail was established in the mid-1990's, the White trail had become nearly impassable because of tree fall associated with the big winter storms of 1988 & 1989.

forest guardians

At the beginning of the trail that leads to the grove stand three great guardian fir trees. There is a sense of tranquility and stillness about these sentinel trees that is impressive.

entering the cedar grove

The grove itself is composed of a small clearing that slopes gently from west to east towards the Sound. There are 18 western red cedar that can be counted from the bench that sits in the middle of the clearing.

Arthur Lee Jacobsen, a well-known Seattle area tree and plant expert, describes the western red cedar as,

“a living monument to firm, unyielding resolve; deeply anchored in earth, strongly ascending towards heaven, mocking the might of the wind, resistant to rot, vigorously enduring for untold centuries”

symbols of human spirituality ~ how many can you identify?

Hidden under the seat of the bench are symbols representative of many different spiritual paths. The cedar grove is a peaceful spot, and well worth a visit during your time at Indralaya.

therapeutic touch in the meadow

A busy weekend
Over the weekend, 27 people participated in a training in therapeutic touch for beginning and intermediate practitioners. The program was led by Jane Cornman, Kathy Wilmering and Cedron Sterling.

Coinciding with the program was a meeting of the Indralaya Board of Directors. One of the questions that the board has been reviewing this Spring is around the question of providing internet access to short-term residential staff and people attending programs. After a full discussion extending over two meetings, the Board decided to continue with the policy of not providing wireless access to the internet.

This decision is intended to support the experience of Indralaya as a place that offers some measure of respite from a world that is awash in communications technologies and the perception of a constant need to be connected. In their place, it is hoped that those who visit and participate in the life of Indralaya can experience a more comprehensive sense of connectedness that transcends the limitations of technological gadgets. And, yes, the irony of expressing this aspiration in a blog is not lost on this writer!